The challenge
Airfoil shaped rotor blades create fluid-dynamic propulsion forces which drive the rotor of a wind turbine. Can this mechanism be used for the propulsion of a vehicle?
The invention
Due to the driver's muscle force, the wheels of a bicycle are turning with a higher orbiting speed than the wind speed itself. With spokes that are designed as airfoils the RES-Winged Wheel can convert the kinetic energy of a flow into torque. The airfoil-shaped spokes have to be exposed to the incoming flow and therefore are brought into a position free from the slipstream caused by the tire and the rim of the wheel. A symmetrical arrangement of the airfoil spokes to the left and to the right of the rim ensures that propulsion can be created at least on one side of the wheel. With a swinging drive the aerodynamic propulsion can be further stimulated.
The advantages
- Wind power to drive the wheel of a vehicle
- Using the spokes as airfoils
- More fun with wind driven wheels
The applications
- Aerodynamic propulsion for bicycles and other vehicles
- Design of an exclusively wind driven beach roller